Winemaker's Notes:

The 2005 harvest season for Almaviva was the longest and latest ever, lasting from April 14th to May 17th. Meticulous ripeness controls and triple selection helped to obtain a very fine wine. Winter was warmer than average and marked nearly 30% less rainfall than an average year. The warm temperatures throughout the winter days, together with high temperatures in September, contribute to an early and homogenous budbreak on September 20 for the Cabernet Sauvignon, five days earlier than the average.
Assemblage
Cabernet Sauvignon: 74%
Carmenère: 21%
Cabernet Franc: 5%
Barrel Aging
18 Months, new French oak.
Tasting Notes
Dark ruby red, intense and opaque.
The nose is deep and complex, remarkably rich and concentrated, revealing fresh ripe fruits aromas, wild strawberries, black currant and blackberries nicely associated with mineral notes, spices, tobacco and coffee. The attack is powerful, ample and silky, immediately revealing a well-balanced and harmonious structure. The tannins are ripe and round, nicely enveloped by flavorful hints of vanilla, toasted orange zest, lavender, chocolate, and licorice.
The finish is long, mineral and silky, enhancing the richness of the ripe fruit and the elegance of the tannins.
A superb wine of an exceptional finesse and remarkable expression.

Our vision is the Company dream. It is where we want the Concha y Toro brand to be in the near future.
Concha y Toro aims to be a leading global branded wine Company.
Today, Concha y Toro is Latin America’s major wine exporter and with presence in over 130 countries, one of the world’s most important wine brands.
It is a truly global company where tradition and innovation meet to un... Read more

Our vision is the Company dream. It is where we want the Concha y Toro brand to be in the near future.
Concha y Toro aims to be a leading global branded wine Company.
Today, Concha y Toro is Latin America’s major wine exporter and with presence in over 130 countries, one of the world’s most important wine brands.
It is a truly global company where tradition and innovation meet to underwrite a commitment to our customers to offer the best quality and wine-drinking experience.
The Company’s agricultural and winemaking philosophy is oriented to achieving quality throughout the productive process and in enhancing the distinctive characteristics of each original vineyard. The diversity of soils and climates of its estates has allowed the Company to have the widest diversity of wine varieties in the Chilean wine industry. In addition, an intense dedication to the vineyard and permanent research has allowed the Company to determine the best terroirs for each grape variety and to produce outstanding wines with worldwide acclaim. Read less

The 1990 gets my nod as one of the three best Moutons since the great 1959 mdash; the others being the 1982 and 1986. It is much more concentrated, backward, and less evolved than the 1989, and it is also less aggressively, or should I say excessively oaky than its predecessor. But for the long-term, there is more glycerin and concentration, and the finish is sweeter and longer in the 1990. The 1989 should drink well at an earlier age given its 1985-ish personality, whereas the 1990 is more of a long distance runner. This great Mouton is one of the most complete wines of the vintage. Anticipated maturity: 2000ndash;2025. P.S. The Maitre de Chias, Michel Bosq, continues to agree that the 1990 is superior to the 1989, largely because their crop-thinning efforts were more severe in 1990.

(Barrel tasting) Aromas of very ripe raspberries, with bread crumbs and tobacco. Full-bodied, with silky tannins. Lots of currants on the finish. Not as complex as I hoped, but clearly outstanding, almost classic.

Mouton-Rothschildrsquo;s 1994 is undoubtedly a success. Made from 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, and 10% Cabernet Franc, most of the harvest was completed between September 22ndash;25, with a small percentage of the grapes picked as late as October 2. The wine possesses a healthy dark purple color, and Moutonrsquo;s tell-tale, sexy nose of coffee, fruitcake, cassis, and spices. Rich, with medium to full body and undeniable power, this is a concentrated, structured wine with enough fat, flesh, and extraction to balance out the winersquo;s formidable tannin level. It possesses better integration of new oak, as well as richer, riper fruit than I found in the 1990, 1989, or 1988. The 1994, which follows a strong effort from Mouton in 1993, was made in smaller quantities, as Mouton produced 20% less wine in 1994 than 1993. A riper, more tannic, fatter, complete and complex wine than the 1993, it should be cellared for 10 years and will last for 30+ years.

Blackberry, cherry and currant with just a hint of toasted oak. Full-bodied, with silky tannins and a lovely combination of ripe fruit and vanilla character. Goes on and on. Long and very stylish. Balanced and refined. Best after 2011.

Rich, with loads of tobacco, berry, currant and coffee. Full-bodied and round, with velvety tannins and a long, vanilla aftertaste. If this had a tiny bit more concentration in the center palate, it would have scored a few points higher. Still, itrsquo;s an outstanding wine. A generous and opulent Mouton. Best after 2009.

A blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, and 2% Cabernet Franc, the opaque purple-colored, chunky 2001 Mouton-Rothschild does not possess the finesse and stature often achieved by this first-growth. It offers a tell-tale cassis-scented nose, and a monolithic, medium to full-bodied style with relatively high, austere tannin in the finish (a characteristics I also noticed in cask). A dry, angular, backward effort for the vintage, it should be forgotten for at least a decade. Letrsquo;s hope the fruit continues to expand and sweeten, but thatrsquo;s no sure thing. Anticipated maturity: 2013ndash;2025+.

Very smoky, with berry, coffee and tobacco aromas. Full-bodied, with polished velvety tannins, plenty of fruit and a cedary aftertaste. Tight and compacted. This is better than the 2000 Mouton. Itrsquo;s a baby 1986 Mouton. Solid and very, very fine. Persists for a long time on the palate. Best after 2009.

The 2005 harvest season for Almaviva was the longest and latest ever, lasting from April 14th to May 17th. Meticulous ripeness controls and triple selection helped to obtain a very fine wine. Winter was warmer than average and marked nearly 30% less rainfall than an average year. The warm temperatures throughout the winter days, together with high temperatures in September, contribute to an early and homogenous budbreak on September 20 for the Cabernet Sauvignon, five days earlier than the average.
Assemblage
Cabernet Sauvignon: 74%
Carmenère: 21%
Cabernet Franc: 5%
Barrel Aging
18 Months, new French oak.
Tasting Notes
Dark ruby red, intense and opaque.
The nose is deep and complex, remarkably rich and concentrated, revealing fresh ripe fruits aromas, wild strawberries, black currant and blackberries nicely associated with mineral notes, spices, tobacco and coffee. The attack is powerful, ample and silky, immediately revealing a well-balanced and harmonious structure. The tannins are ripe and round, nicely enveloped by flavorful hints of vanilla, toasted orange zest, lavender, chocolate, and licorice.
The finish is long, mineral and silky, enhancing the richness of the ripe fruit and the elegance of the tannins.
A superb wine of an exceptional finesse and remarkable expression.